


summer stage

by baecobz



Category: NCT (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Non-Famous, Crushes, Fluff, M/M, Summer, do i have a reason for it??? no i jus think the name is cute, sunwoo is trans btw?? its mentioned in one (1) line, sunwoo works at a summer resort which i also very self indulgently called the sunshine spot, very self indulgent inclusivity there but uHHHH yeah
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-10
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2020-01-10 20:12:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,841
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18415022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/baecobz/pseuds/baecobz
Summary: kim sunwoo starts off his last summer before college hoping for two things:1) a part-time job2) the chance to try something newhe gets all of that and even more, all thanks to one disarmingly cute boy named lee donghyuck.





	summer stage

**Author's Note:**

  * For [98line](https://archiveofourown.org/users/98line/gifts).



> mei my angel!!! m sorry this took 5000 yrs but ty so much for commissioning me.... if it werent for u i def never wldve written smthn so cute n soft for these two boys..... thank u and i luv u!!!  
> also uhhh halfway thru writing this i lost my notes on what u originally said u wanted.. n then i couldnt find our dm convo where u described it.... so i just tried to include everything i remembered hdjjsk i wasnt rlly able to include the clothes swap scene either hdhdkhg m rlly sorry TT i hope this is ok regardless ahhh!! i had a lot of fun writing it, so i hope u enjoy reading~~  
> (also this.. wasnt supposed to even go past 3k but..... here we are shdkjd)

prior to this summer, donghyuck and sunwoo have never really interacted much at school-- while they’re both relatively popular among their own social spheres, there aren’t exactly a lot of reasons for them to overlap.

donghyuck’s the kind of guy that gets mentioned a lot in passing, but sunwoo’s not sure if they’ve ever actually met before; he’s usually too preoccupied with soccer practice and trying to bullshit his college packing list.

there are, of course, still some mutual friends between the two of them. for one, sunwoo’s known eric since they started playing basketball together as kids. there’s also jeno, eric’s best friend and the school’s resident sweetheart, and jaemin, the sweet drama kid who used to carpool with sunwoo after school. and, of course, hyunjoon, a recently-transferred theater kid that sat next to sunwoo in physics. they all have strange, indisputable connections to donghyuck, too, but sunwoo’s never thought about it. because sure, he’s heard that name plenty of times ( _ donghyuck got the lead role for the play again _ , or  _ i’m gonna catch a ride with donghyuck _ , or  _ oh, i think donghyuck mentioned that too _ ), but they’ve never even shared classes before, so all in all, sunwoo’s never paid it much attention. and until now, it’s not like he ever had a reason to.

but now he’s face to face with someone who could honestly give the sun a run for its money.

“lee donghyuck,” the boy grins, hand outstretched, “but i guess that’s obvious.”

and it is, but first-- context.

it’s the summer after their senior year, and a majority of sunwoo’s classmates have opted for too-long vacations in europe or something similarly grandiose before they’re off to explore the opposite coast in some ivy-league school. some other classmates are laying low, enjoying their last few months of sleeping in before they have to start worrying about setting alarms or studying for exams.

sunwoo, on the other hand, is stuck looking for a summer job; he needs the extra work experience on his resume alongside the extra cash-- not to mention an excuse to just get out of the house.

(because he loves it at home, thankful for his family and his house and the whole nine yards, but sometimes it feels all too stifling. there are only so many games of catch you can play with your back wall before you start to get a little antsy.)

so sunwoo mentions it once, offhandedly, to eric. it’s a brief text in between several other imessage games, so he’s not even sure that the other boy sees it. but then he gets a link to some high-end resort and the message,  _ i deliver here sometimes and this place is SICK _ . then eric beats him in cup pong, and sunwoo stops thinking about it.

but a couple days later, he and jeno are dicking around on his computer, deep-frying memes through photoshop and watching shitty tiktok compilations on youtube, when jeno goes, “oh, sunshine spot?”

sunwoo pauses and blinks back at him, sighing, “what the fuck kinda meme is that?”

jeno just giggles in response, clicking onto the bookmarked link sunwoo had already forgotten about. “sunshine spot,” he repeats, now pointing at the glowing pictures of the resort eric had mentioned. “are you gonna, like, stay there?”

“no, i just thought i might apply for a summer position or something. eric said i could probably get a job there.”

“oh man-- if you did, that’d be so cool! all the guests are like,  _ super _ well to-do. the tips you’d rack in would be amazing.”

and, well. that’s all the encouragement sunwoo needs to send in a carefully-crafted email and resume, staring at the little  _ sent _ icon at the bottom of his computer. he doesn’t think about the job or the application much after-- he applies to other part-time jobs, tries babysitting approximately twice before exhaustion of dealing with five kids starts to get to him (he’s only getting paid to watch two of them, so why are all of these other kids coming over?)

anyways.

it isn’t long until he gets an email back, asking if he’s free thursday morning to come in for an interview and tour of the resort, alongside an offer to maybe talk to some of the current employees and see if he’d be interested in the position. for future years, too. just in case.

so he says yes, nearly screams his fears into the phone when he calls jeno to talk about it, puts on his best blazer come thursday morning, and holds his freshly-printed resume with two sweaty hands.

when he gets to the resort, dropped off by eric before the younger boy heads out to visit some upperclassmen, sunwoo makes it all of ten feet before a security guard is asking for his id and reason of arrival.

he shakily hands over his drivers license, explains that he has an interview, and promptly gets escorted to some unnervingly well-lit office towards the rear of the resort.

it’s there that a warm, sweet woman comes in and asks sunwoo different questions, laughing when he admits that he just needs some cash before he goes to college, and half an hour passes in the blink of an eye.

“we’d be more than happy to have you here for the summer,” the woman, mrs lee, says. she smiles like it’s genuine, and it makes sunwoo feel all giddy for some reason. maybe it’s just been too long since he’s felt genuinely wanted. “are you interested? i can give you some time to think about it, if you’d like.”

“no need.” sunwoo answers quickly. “i’d love to. just tell me when to come in, and i’ll be there.”

“how does this sunday sound?” she asks, and sunwoo can only grin and nod.

then sunday comes, and sunwoo is-- here.

staring straight at the owner’s son and desperately willing his hand to stop being so sweaty so he can just shake this guy’s hand instead of watching him stiffly.

“i’m kim sunwoo,” he says eventually, voice only cracking slightly. he shakes donghyuck’s hand, sweat be damned, because he’d rather do that than do nothing at all.

“i know.” lee donghyuck snorts, and it shouldn’t be a pretty sound, but for some reason sunwoo thinks it is. that’s not a very good sign.

he ends up following donghyuck around as the younger boy leads him around the resort grounds, nodding along as the other boy points out landmarks and carefully-placed signs.

the day passes by in a blur-- they take a break, right in the middle, to grab some nearly-expired sandwiches for lunch, and then they’re back to traversing the resort, following along different trails and stopping by what feels like a million buildings.

by the end of it all, sunwoo’s understandably ready to pass out; the only thing between him and his long-awaited bed back home is a twenty minute car ride, provided courtesy of one very-late lee jeno.

sunwoo, of course, couldn’t even bring himself to complain, instead using his remaining energy to sit on the curb of the parking lot, staring up at the setting sun. he knows it’s bad for his eyes, but what’s the worst that can happen?

_ you could go blind _ , he thinks _ , or get some sort of cancer or weird sun disease. that would suck _ .

(he stops looking at the sun after that.)

“what’cha sticking around for?” sunwoo looks up to see donghyuck tilting his head, glancing at the ground for a moment like he’s debating sitting next to sunwoo; apparently he thinks better of it, because he ends up leaning against a postbox and smiling down at him.

“oh sorry, i’m just waiting for jeno to pick me up.”

“wait, lee jeno? i love that guy! hey, i can keep you company if you’d like.”

sunwoo watches with wild, hesitant eyes, and hopes that donghyuck understands the reason for his caution.

“are you sure? i don’t want to keep you.”

“you’re fine,” donghyuck laughs easily, far too airy and bright to be genuine, “it gives me an excuse to say hi to jeno anyways. i had no idea you two were friends.”

“yeah.” sunwoo fidgets in his spot before he remembers that he should probably say something else, add a story to make a better conversation or  _ something _ . “we, uh, volunteered at an animal shelter together and met there.”

“no way! i met him at a cat cafe!” sunwoo huffs out a half-laugh, half-breath, and then both of them are chuckling,

“jeno really likes cats.” the synchronicity of it makes both of them laugh,  _ really _ laugh, and sunwoo feels like they’ve just upgraded a level in terms of friendship. or maybe just overall relationship. he doesn’t want to limit himself quite yet.

(donghyuck is, after all, ridiculously cute.)

they make small talk until the sun sets, chatting about classes and summer plans; they skirt around the edges of college dreams and life goals, but it feels like they don’t need to say anything for the other person to be able to get it. besides, some things are better left unsaid, especially when you’re busy trying to impress a cute boy in a summer that feels separate from the rest of the world.

donghyuck offhandedly mentions little comments about his family, about how much influence they had over his college choices, and sunwoo can only nod along. he doesn’t ask many questions, since he’s too afraid about seeming overbearing or creepy, but he hopes donghyuck knows that he cares and that he understands.

they fit naturally, overall and in conversation, and sunwoo treasures the time they have getting to know each other before jeno’s car pulls up into the parking lot and they both stand to leave.

“it was nice talking to you.” donghyuck says easily, like sunwoo hasn’t been worrying about how to end their conversation and make it clear he had a good time, “we should hang out sometime. even just when you’re on break, or something.”

“that’d be really nice.”

jeno honks at them, and donghyuck’s smile seems to glow brighter under the headlights.

“i’ll see you around, kim sunwoo.”

“‘til tomorrow.” sunwoo agrees.

(he can’t stop smiling the entire rest of the way home. jeno very wisely doesn’t comment on it.)

when sunwoo goes into work the next day, he’s not quite sure what to expect. he heads straight to mrs. lee, mind busy with the fact that regardless of what happens today, hopefully he’ll at least be able to see donghyuck for part of it.

“we’ll start you off on different things,” mrs. lee says, bustling around her office with an intensity that’s genuinely alarming, “get you used to all sorts of jobs before we have you stick with whatever’s a good fit for you. any questions or concerns?”

sunwoo shakes his head. he’s still trying to wrap his head around what exactly that means (this job is clearly going to involve a lot more thinking than he originally hoped), and then mrs. lee is smiling and ushering him out of her office, patting him on the back and wishing him well.

so.

he finds out later that he’s going to rotate through different positions, sticking with them for a few days at a time before picking one and sticking with it for the rest of the summer. it seems simple enough, and he appreciates the chance to experiment a little before being automatically stuck with a job he hates.

none of them end up all too entertaining; sunwoo gets experience plating dishes and scheduling room bookings, but the only differences in the jobs seems to be in how often he gets to interact with donghyuck. the younger boy does a lot of odd jobs around the resort, so sunwoo ends up enjoying working by the kitchen the most-- donghyuck always seems to be dropping by the main restaurant, and always makes sure to strike up a conversation with sunwoo when he passes by.

by the front desk, though, donghyuck will pass by once or twice on a good day, and sunwoo’s left feeling awfully sun-deprived for the rest of the day.

so for now, while he switches between boring and insignificant tasks, sunwoo is left waiting tables and handing out overpriced cocktails to unsuspecting white-collared couples, keeping a smile plastered to his face even as he can feel the back of his shirt dampen with sweat. it feels gross and so does he, but he doesn’t have to deal with it for long before there’s a loud smacking sound and a balloon full of ice cold water popping against his shoulder.

his shirt, now wet and refreshingly cold, actually feels kind of good; donghyuck is grinning at him, and everything seems right in the world.

but.

the problem is that sunwoo is still in the middle of serving a guest, and the moment the first water balloon hits his shoulder, he can see part of the latex fly onto one of the guest’s plates.

“i’m so sorry,” he stutters out, carefully wiping away the bits of the balloon that had scattered across the table. thankfully, the guests don’t seem too perturbed by the sudden attack, laughing quietly, but sunwoo can still feel his cheeks burn with embarrassment as he hurries back to the kitchen.

when he gets there, he’s met with donghyuck sitting on the counter, swinging his legs with half a dozen water balloons in his lap.

sunwoo makes it a few steps inside before he’s crossing his arms and frowning at the younger boy.

“lee donghyuck, what the hell?”

“just having a little fun,” donghyuck says easily, “don’t worry, i knew the people you were serving. i’m not gonna do anything that could get you in trouble. promise.” he says it with a smile, but for some reason, his words hold a heavier weight to them.  

sunwoo doesn’t know how to feel about that.

he turns around to leave the kitchen, but before he can even make it past the swinging doors, there’s a water balloon catapulting centimeters from his face and into the wall beside him.

“i can’t believe you,” he breathes out through clenched teeth (because he’s mad, this is his  _ job _ , and he’s taking all of this very seriously, regardless of cute boys and the very, very cute faces they make when they smile), and donghyuck giggles in response.  _ giggles _ . what has sunwoo’s life come to?

he looks back, and then, with feeling, hisses out, “you  _ motherfucker _ .”

by the time he turns back around, sunwoo only barely has the chance to catch his breath before he’s being hit yet again.

this time, the balloon hits him square in the back, giving half a moment of pure shock before the water starts to seep into the fabric of his uniform.

“stop it!” he huffs out, but he can’t even stop himself from laughing back. “i’m supposed to get back to work.”

“just take your break now. it’s around lunch time anyways.” this time, the balloon that gets tossed his way lands easily into his hands, instead of being thrown against him. it bounces a little in his grasp, almost playfully, and the idea of a break is tempting-- but sunwoo is trying to be professional.

“shouldn’t i save that time to actually eat?”

“there’s plenty of time for both.” donghyuck grins. “but if you’re too tired to catch me, you can always just watch me score a few goals in soccer. i think some of the other part-timers were gonna start a game around now, anyways.”

“soccer?” sunwoo blinks. “i didn’t know you played.”

“just a little. i’ve heard you’re not too bad yourself.” he’s met with a wink at that, and it’s impossible for sunwoo to do anything but follow along and nod dumbly in response.

when they start heading out to the field, sunwoo tries to insist on sitting out, making half-assed excuses of resting and saving his energy for his actual job, but donghyuck is nothing but very persistent and very convincing.

“you’ve been pacing around the kitchen during the downtime, anyways. might as well get some actual energy out.”

and because of that (definitely not because of the way donghyuck looks at him like he’s never seen anything more wonderful in his life), sunwoo acquiesces. very, very reluctantly, of course.

“let’s make a bet.” donghyuck adds when he presses into sunwoo’s back to help him stretch. sunwoo grunts in response, hoping donghyuck takes it to mean  _ i don’t want to _ . of course, donghyuck doesn’t. “we’re probably going to be on opposite teams, right?”

sunwoo wants to disagree, but one: he can’t really speak, since donghyuck is too busy talking to stop forcing sunwoo into a painful stretch he really  _ can’t do _ , and two: he knows donghyuck is right; everyone else seems to have agreed that the two of them spend way too much time together, so for the sake of fairness, would likely make them split up. he stays silent.

which was probably a good choice, because donghyuck continues easily, “if i win, you have to perform with me at the showcase.”

the showcase. (sunwoo flinches at the mention of it.)

every year, the resort hosts an end-of-the-summer showcase; it’s essentially just a talent show performed by the staff to perform mediocre skills in front of their guests. sunwoo had learned very quickly that while most people’s performances weren’t too memorable, donghyuck had been doing musical pieces every year since he was seven and had never failed to receive a standing ovation.

sunwoo, on the other hand, still gets dangerously nervous before soccer matches the second he remembers that, oh yeah,  _ the entire school is watching _ .

honestly, sunwoo isn’t quite sure why donghyuck would ask him for this in the first place.

it’s a simple idea; a straightforward bet with a clear  _ this or that _ outcome.

the thing is, they both know that sunwoo’s a far better player than donghyuck, has trained and practiced for years for both club and sport. if donghyuck wins, that means sunwoo  _ lets him _ , which is in of itself his own way of agreeing.

sunwoo shouldn’t say yes.

but, like all things involving donghyuck, he does anyways.

(and when the younger boy grins back at him in response, it’s all he can do to avoid getting blinded.)

when they get to the field, sunwoo recognizes a handful of other teenagers stretching and laying out on the grass. some of them are kicking a soccer ball back and forth, absent minded movements while they carry on conversations and crack jokes. sunwoo sticks close to donghyuck’s side anyways. he always feels more comfortable there.

“how long have you been playing soccer, anyways?” donghyuck asks while everyone else is dividing up into teams. “i know it’s been a long time, but.”

“years? i did it for awhile on the neighborhood girls’ team in elementary school, and joined the school boys’ team after i transitioned.”

“that’s so long.” donghyuck sighs out. “ugh, you’re so  _ powerful _ .”

the game starts off far too quickly; sunwoo barely gets a chance to appreciate the smirk donghyuck sends his way before he’s busy running after the ball, yelling for passes and covers. when he gets put as a forward, waiting for one of his teammates to kick the ball his way, he accidentally bumps into donghyuck.

the younger boy is apparently on defense, and is doing everything he can to save his energy until “the perfect moment”-- whatever that means.

“hey,” donghyuck says after barely half a second of silence, “dance with me.”

“not a chance.”

“ _ sunwoo _ .”

“ _ donghyuck _ .”

“why not?”

“we’re in the middle of a game, holy shit.”

“and? give me a good reason why you won’t.”

“i don’t-- i’m not a dancer.” sunwoo says carefully. (they both know that despite how indifferent sunwoo often seems to donghyuck’s wishes, a silly little soccer match isn’t enough to stop him from doing whatever donghyuck wants.) there’s hesitation in all of his movements, something he knows donghyuck can probably notice. it doesn’t seem to have much of an effect though, since the younger boy just sighs and tugs on his arm anyways.

“nonsense,” he says brightly, “that’s not a good reason at all.”

“i don’t dance.” sunwoo says it firmer, less doubt in his words, but both he and donghyuck know it doesn’t hold any greater weight even now.

if he wanted donghyuck to drop it completely, he wouldn’t feel the corners of his lips still tugging up, wouldn’t let donghyuck lean into his space and flick his nose to convince him otherwise.

(maybe he just wants to see how much donghyuck cares about this. about dancing. about him.)

“just with me. just this once.” and god, is it tempting.

he doesn’t respond though, too worried about appearances and awkwardness to give donghyuck a proper response or refusal.

he thinks maybe that’s that, and the topic will be dropped-- and for a few glorious minutes, it seems like he’s right.

but then donghyuck whispers something to one of the guys passing by the field, a tall, artsy-looking kid that sunwoo inevitably recognizes to be hyunjoon (he really does look different without the accessories and clothes he’s known for at school); the boy scurries off towards the bleachers and makes some vague hand gestures before clc’s “black dress” stars blaring through the speakers.

donghyuck grins at him, almost cat-like, and sunwoo sighs.

he gives in before donghyuck spends too long dancing by himself, and while it starts off with small, occasional moves to appease the younger boy, it doesn’t take long until they’re both headbanging and twirling on the field like nothing else in the world matters.

(for all they care, it’s true; everything important in the universe seems to be narrowed down to the music and the distance between them.)

it really is that easy, sunwoo thinks, to risk it all and forget about everything else, especially when you have someone like donghyuck leading the way.

the song ends to heavy breaths and donghyuck standing a  _ lot _ closer than sunwoo realized, barely a few inches apart. he’s looking at sunwoo with this look that he can’t quite explain, but basks in anyways.

then the soccer ball is being punted in their direction and they’re sprinting after it, laughing even as they bump shoulders and run.

the next time they get a few moments to breathe, the ball being kept busy on the other half of the field, sunwoo finally notices that, oh hey, their teams are tied 4-4.

the thought of that makes him a little jittery, bouncing on the balls of his feet while he gets ready for any opportunity to get the ball and score. he’s not thinking about anything else, barely even registering the amused look donghyuck gives him; sunwoo’s too focused on the idea of winning to think of much else.

there are barely ten seconds left, and finally,  _ finally _ , he gets the ball.

sunwoo sprints towards the goal, dribbling almost effortlessly past the other team as he makes his way closer. he slows down, getting ready to kick into the empty net, when he sees donghyuck just a few yards to his left, watching.

sunwoo thinks about the showcase, about donghyuck’s face when he mentioned it, about donghyuck  _ donghyuck donghyuck _ .

he stops where he stands and watches the realization dawn on donghyuck’s face, a slow glow that rises along with the flush on his cheeks, and the reality of the world suddenly feels a lifetime away.

(sunwoo doesn’t even bother kicking the ball.)

when the whistle blows and his team smacks him on the back, teasing and confused, it’s all sunwoo can do to wait for donghyuck to finally shuffle forward and wrap him in a giant hug.

“i hope you have some ideas for the showcase.” sunwoo grins against donghyuck’s hair, rocking back and forth on his feet. donghyuck laughs breathlessly in response and pulls himself even closer.

while it had seemed important when donghyuck mentioned it initially, that didn’t do much to prepare sunwoo for how meaningful it really seemed to be to him.

this, too, feels like another level up, and donghyuck’s grip makes it seem like perhaps this level is on a whole different plane than everything else.

they end up practicing together on weekends or after they both get off of work; it’s easiest to hang out at sunwoo’s house, so they spend most evenings crowded around his desk, picking out sheet music and song choices. when they get to actually singing, sunwoo tends to sit at his desk and watch donghyuck, cross-legged on the edge of his bed, effortlessly belt out his notes.

“let’s make another bet.” donghyuck announces one day, and sunwoo refuses before he can even say anything else.

they’re taking a break from arranging their music, lying face down on sunwoo’s bed as a way to relax. or maybe just so they both have an excuse to smush their faces against sunwoo’s ridiculously soft blanket, who knows.

donghyuck sits up now, and there’s a determination to his movements that makes sunwoo hesitate. still, he doesn’t move, doesn’t say much else, just waits until donghyuck takes the silence as his cue to continue.

it only takes another moment before:

“no, seriously-- sunwoo, c’mon, it’ll be good.”

it takes a few more minutes of whining before sunwoo finally gives in, and then he’s flopping onto his back so he can at least be comfortable while donghyuck tries to ruin his life.

“when we do the showcase-- if we get a standing ovation, right? i’m gonna ask you out on a super cheesy date. and i’m gonna ask to kiss you. deal?”

sunwoo sits up so fast he almost blacks out.

“ _ what _ ?” he croaks out.

“what do you mean,  _ what _ ?” donghyuck laughs, but he’s tugging at his sleeves and looking anywhere else but at sunwoo. “you heard me.”

“what happens if we don’t?”

“then, uh. then i don’t do either of those things.”

sunwoo laughs, a little incredulous, and decides, “we better get a standing ovation, then.”

donghyuck looks back at him with stars in his eyes, and sunwoo has never been more excited to be on a stage in his life.

the rest of their practice sessions seem to pass even faster than before, each one coming with a new moment of heart-thumping, knees-touching, blush-bringing incidents that makes sunwoo desperate for the showcase to come sooner.

of course, when the day of the showcase actually arrives, sunwoo can’t help but wish he had more time.

he’s decided, of course, that if they don’t get a standing ovation (doubtful, because donghyuck’s presence alone is enough to warrant endless applause), sunwoo will just have to ask donghyuck out himself. the idea of  _ that _ is enough to replace any worries about the actual performance, stagefright overcome by his fear of not being romantic or  _ cool _ enough.

sunwoo can barely process anything happening; the whole world is passing by in a blur as he gets bustled into his costume and jaemin even helps to smear some eyeliner and blush on. he hasn’t seen donghyuck at all, which has done both wonders and tragedies for his focus. in a weird way, it kind of feels like they’re getting ready for their wedding.

(that thought alone is enough to spend sunwoo spiraling for the next half hour before it’s time for him and donghyuck to step on stage.)

standing in front of him, donghyuck seems to be glowing even brighter than normal.

it’s clear that the younger boy is meant to perform, eyes glittering even more thanks to the sparkly eyeshadow he’s wearing. his costume, a simple, color-accented suit that matches sunwoo’s own, fits him perfectly.

sunwoo kind of wants to kiss him.

“you’re on in, like, ten seconds.” hyunjoon calls over his shoulder, wide grin accompanied by two finger guns. “break a leg, guys.”

both boys offer their thanks before focusing back on the curtain, countless faces barely visible in the audience. the announcer is still introducing them, giving them just a few more moments of calm before they’re stage-bound.

“did you know jeno and jaemin are doing a duet?” donghyuck says suddenly. “jeno’s going to play piano while jaemin sings. or maybe it’s the other way around, i’m not sure.”

sunwoo doesn’t question the oddity of the statement, knowing all too well that donghyuck’s just as nervous as he is. instead, sunwoo smiles back and says,

“i think jeno’s on the piano. eric’s holding up a massive sign with the words  _ piano man _ on it in glitter, so.”

“fair enough.” donghyuck snorts. he hesitates a moment before glancing at sunwoo, meeting the older boy’s almost reverent stare with a gentleness that makes sunwoo’s heart skip a beat. “you ready?”

“with you?” sunwoo can’t help the cheesiness, just reaches for donghyuck’s hand and smiles, “of course.”

they step onto stage hand in hand, and even with the stage lights glaring at him and the mass of hidden faces watching, sunwoo has never felt more at home.


End file.
